Long Creek Falls — Attraction in Dahlonega

Long Creek Falls is perhaps the prettiest of Blue Ridge Waterfalls, located on the Appalachian Trail near the Three Forks where the Appalachian, Benton MacKaye and Duncan Ridge Trails meet. The hike is almost 2 miles out and back along Long Creek. The hike takes an average of 53 min to 1 hr to complete depending on your pace. There are a few things you need to know before doing this hike. This is an easy to moderate hike, but you should always be prepared for a hike regardless of the difficulty levels.

-Listen to recent weather updates before embarking on the hike.

-Go early to avoid the crowd and the heat, weekdays are a better choice. You can start later in the day in summer but parking could be full by mid-morning.

-Bring a water bottle, snacks such as trail mix, sunscreen, first aid kit, and sanitizer.

-Wear hiking boots and not sneakers! On my first hike few years ago I wore sneakers. BIG MISTAKE!! I twisted my foot and sprained my ankle. I was in excruciating pain and had to cut my vacation short.

Some areas have a lot of tree roots and rocks to navigate along with some hills, so be careful. This is where hiking boots come in handy! 😀

This is a very popular area for hiking, running, and walking, so you will see other people while exploring. The trail is open year-round and is beautiful to visit anytime. Dogs are welcome, but they must be on a leash. Kindly pick up after your dog. Thank you! 🙏

There are a number of spectacular small waterfalls on the way to mesmerize and take it all in! The highest waterfall tumbles over 50 feet, cascading twice over the lower and upper waterfalls before tumbling into a deep, calm, blue pool below. Simply breathtaking! 😍

This is a very scenic and peaceful trail to hike, you will have your choice of several areas to dip in and cool off on hot summer days. The Long Creek Falls swimming area is a large pool of water near the campground. Happy trails! Enjoy and have...

The falls (there are a total of 3 falls on the 2 mile out and back hike) are very lovely and the hike is somewhat easy under cool foliage even on a hot summer day. There were people standing under the main waterfall and wading in the shallow pool where it ends and enjoying the cool water. Trail has a gradual gradient - quite easy though you have to watch for rocks and roots that will trip you up. We also hiked a short distance on the Appalachian Trail. However, it is the approach forest service road to the trailhead that will destroy your vehicle even going at 15-20 mph (we went in a SUV but clearance isn't the only issue). Especially driving from the metro area, you will have to endure many miles of confusing service roads - heard it is only 5 miles of gravel roads from the other side (Blue Ridge area). On the way back the network was unavailable and we got lost a bit leading to an extra 7.5 miles on the dirt roads - some are worse than others. There are no restrooms and no food for miles - also something you should plan for. Today being a holiday, the parking area at the trailhead filled up fast and there were another 10 vehicles parked alongside the service road. Our car was covered in fine dust by the time we hiked to the falls and back - the active brake assist sensors also were covered in dirt and...

Long windy bumpy road, but a nice hike. I was able to make it in my Miata NC, but had to go very slow. Worth the trip, but I would NOT go back in my Miata

Update: came back today with my wife in our Toyota (6/15/19) and had a great hike with my her , but about 5 min after I got there and stepped on a wet rock, I slipped and fell hard on my hip. I couldn't put any pressure on it and sat there for a few min. Someone who saw me fall asked if I was ok. I said I was hurt bad. Long story short, thank God an EMT and a few others with medical knowledge made a homemade cot out of a tarp and some tree branches and were able to carry me out (1 mile). My wife drove me about 1.5- 2 hours to the hospital back home where... after several hours, I found out I had broken my hip. I hike to waterfalls all the time and am usually careful, but one wrong step can have sever consequences... thank God for watching over me and thank the very nice people that carried me out. Sometimes when you are hurt, you need others to help carry you!!

I thanked them then, but will probably never see them again. If they see this, they will know who they are. To the young girl who spoke with me... I'm...